Haiti prepares for new leadership as gunfire erupts

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A wealthy businessman was slated to become president of Haiti's transitional presidential council on Thursday, marking the first time that the private sector is in control of the country's two executive branches. The change in command further threatened to destabilize the country as a powerful gang federation that has long denounced Haiti's oligarchs pledged to overthrow the government hours before the swearing-in. "People of Haiti, take care of yourselves and help us…in the battle to free the country," Jimmy Chérizier, best known as Barbecue and a leader of Viv Ansanm, said in a video posted on social media. Wearing a bulletproof vest and with an automatic rifle slung around his shoulder, Chérizier rattled off the names of several neighborhoods, asking that residents give them free passage to reach the council's office. Gunfire erupted in parts of the capital by dawn as normally congested streets remained empty and quiet across Port-au-Prince. A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police said in a statement that officers thwarted potential attacks by around-the-clock patrols and by boosting the number of armed forces in certain neighborhoods and around critical infrastructure. "Armed gangs had plotted to disrupt national stability and render the country ungovernable," it said. Laurent Saint-Cyr was expected to be sworn-in at the council's heavily guarded office as part of a rotating presidency. He is one of nine council members and represents the private sector. Saint-Cyr previously served as president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti and of the country's Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He'll be working with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, a one-time president of an internet company in Haiti and also a former president of the country's Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A growing number of people have grumbled about Haiti's private sector leading the country. Some of Haiti's wealthy elites and powerful politicians have long been accused of financing and arming dozens of gangs. However, dozens of Haitians wearing white T-shirts and clutching signs emblazoned with Saint-Cyr's picture gathered outside the council's office in support of him. As the country prepared for the swearing in, Haitians posted a flurry of warnings about violence in hopes that people could remain safe. "Those of you in the capital, you will hear gunshots both ahead of you and behind you. Remain on guard!" one message stated. Tripotay Lakay, a local news site, reported that one person was killed and another injured while driving into Port-au-Prince on Thursday. It wasn't immediately clear what led to the killing. A video posted on social media showed a woman's body slumped in the car. Violence also was reported in Kenscoff, a once peaceful farming area located above the hills of Port-au-Prince. The U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police reported that it lost two armored vehicles after they became trapped in trenches deliberately dug by gangs. It said policemen came under attack by Molotov cocktails but "courageously held their ground, inflicting significant damage on the assailants," while three officers received minor injuries. Videos posted on social media showed suspected gang members laughing and cheering as they surrounded one of the armored vehicles that was later set on fire. "Come get it back if you can!" one gunman jeered. Gangs in Kenscoff also recently kidnapped eight people from an orphanage, including an Irish missionary and a 3-year-old child. They remain missing. Gangs control up to 90% of Haiti's capital, with violence surging in the aftermath of the July 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse. Ongoing violence has displaced more than 1.3 million people in recent years. At least 1,520 people were killed and more than 600 injured from April to the end of June across Haiti. More than 60% of the killings and injuries occurred during operations by security forces against gangs, with another 12% blamed on self-defense groups, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti.